Xiangyang claims to be where legendary strategist Zhuge Liang met warlord Liu Bei
By Ho Ai Li 18 July 2011
XIANGYANG (Hubei): Tall bamboo trees block out the summer sun as well as the odd shrine and cottage in Longzhong, a hilly scenic spot that sits beside the city’s university.
Past a stone arch and up a flight of stairs is a library; round a corner is a maze - for visitors to test their wits.
The cerebral is celebrated in Longzhong, where wise man Zhuge Liang lived his days quietly until warlord Liu Bei came a-calling.
In a famous tale known as San Gu Mao Lu from classic novel Romance Of The Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei visited Zhuge Liang’s cottage in Longzhong not once but thrice before proving his sincerity and getting his man.
This was nearly 2,000 years ago, in AD207, just before the Three Kingdoms period when warlords Liu, Cao Cao and Sun Quan fought to rule China.
Today, Longzhong lives on as a place of interest and is Xiangyang’s most potent weapon in China’s growing war for lucrative tourist dollars.
Xiangyang, a city of nearly six million people, wants its name to be synonymous with Zhuge Liang.
Born in AD181 in eastern Shandong, he was the brains behind Liu Bei and famous for coining strategems like the ruse of an empty city (kong cheng ji).
While he did not end up on the winning side at long last, he has still been widely respected through the ages.
‘He’s a star of wisdom,’ a tour guide told a Guangdong group one morning last month. One by one, they went up to an idol of Zhuge Liang and touched his fan in the hope of gaining wisdom.
Besides promoting attractions like Longzhong, Xiangyang has held seminars and festivals in honour of the man.
It has built a Zhuge Liang Square, which comes with a bronze statue of the revered military strategist and his trademark feather fan.
Inside Xiangyang’s old city walls, shops sell the Kong Ming fans, after Zhuge Liang’s other name.
Also on sale: Kong Ming lamps and Kong Ming vegetables - a kind of pickled vegetables - and Zhuge Liang liquor.
But Xiangyang has competition. Nanyang city in neighbouring Henan province also claims to be the former dwelling place of the man nicknamed Wolong or ‘Crouching Dragon’.
Xiangyang says Zhuge Liang’s cottage home is in Longzhong; Nanyang says Wolonggang.
‘There’s no argument over where his birth or burial place lies, but there has been controversy over where he spent 10 years in seclusion,’ said Professor Liang Mancang, an expert on Three Kingdoms history.
Xiangyang and Nanyang are not conceding an inch in the tussle to be the place where Zhuge Liang met Liu Bei. It is an important spot because the tale has come to symbolise a politician’s sincerity in seeking out talent and wisdom to help rule China.
Xiangyang looks to have pulled ahead. Many historians endorse its claim, noted Prof Liang.
The city was cited as the site of Zhuge Liang’s mountain home in both junior high textbooks as well as the latest TV adaptation of Romance Of The Three Kingdoms shown last year.
Not only does Xiangyang have Longzhong, it also boasts of sites like the former home of Zhuge Liang’s wife.
Nanyang, however, is not conceding defeat. In 2007, it pulled a publicity coup over its rival when China President Hu Jintao visited its Zhuge Liang memorial shrine.
The rivalry between the two cities goes back hundreds of years to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
In 1990, they tussled over which city should launch a commemorative stamp on San Gu Mao Lu.
The struggle reflects how Zhuge Liang has continued to be an influential figure to this day.
Some books have been published with a revisionist take, branding the man a hypocrite or a sinner despite the lack of historical evidence, noted Prof Liang.
‘Why do they scold Zhuge Liang? It’s to attract eyeballs. It shows that he is still influential today,’ said Prof Liang.
It has been said that Xiangyang clinched an investment deal from Japanese carmaker Nissan in 2003 because its chief operating officer Toshiyuki Shiga was a big fan of Zhuge Liang.
But the lustre of the ancient wise man has not rubbed off all that much on Xiangyang yet.
Tourism in the city, in the north-west of central Hubei province, could be better promoted, complained drivers.
‘It’s all so shabby and messy,’ said cab driver Shi Fanglong as he pointed to Xiangyang’s old city gate. ‘There’s nothing much to see there,’ he added.
One of the city’s attractions is a jade screen, located in the former residence of a Qing Dynasty prince.
The place has been closed to visitors for several years, so the screen can be glimpsed only through a locked gate more than 100m away.
Mr. Chris McMath, a 26-year-old Briton who spent five months teaching English in Xiangyang, said the city has friendly people and historical heritage but does not live up to its potential.
‘Longzhong is tiny and not that amazing in itself,’ he said.
Despite playing the Zhuge Liang card, Xiangyang has not shone as a tourist destination. Perhaps the city could do with some advice from the wise man himself.
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Chinese city wises up to sage’s fame
Xiangyang claims to be where legendary strategist Zhuge Liang met warlord Liu Bei
By Ho Ai Li
18 July 2011
XIANGYANG (Hubei): Tall bamboo trees block out the summer sun as well as the odd shrine and cottage in Longzhong, a hilly scenic spot that sits beside the city’s university.
Past a stone arch and up a flight of stairs is a library; round a corner is a maze - for visitors to test their wits.
The cerebral is celebrated in Longzhong, where wise man Zhuge Liang lived his days quietly until warlord Liu Bei came a-calling.
In a famous tale known as San Gu Mao Lu from classic novel Romance Of The Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei visited Zhuge Liang’s cottage in Longzhong not once but thrice before proving his sincerity and getting his man.
This was nearly 2,000 years ago, in AD207, just before the Three Kingdoms period when warlords Liu, Cao Cao and Sun Quan fought to rule China.
Today, Longzhong lives on as a place of interest and is Xiangyang’s most potent weapon in China’s growing war for lucrative tourist dollars.
Xiangyang, a city of nearly six million people, wants its name to be synonymous with Zhuge Liang.
Born in AD181 in eastern Shandong, he was the brains behind Liu Bei and famous for coining strategems like the ruse of an empty city (kong cheng ji).
While he did not end up on the winning side at long last, he has still been widely respected through the ages.
‘He’s a star of wisdom,’ a tour guide told a Guangdong group one morning last month. One by one, they went up to an idol of Zhuge Liang and touched his fan in the hope of gaining wisdom.
Besides promoting attractions like Longzhong, Xiangyang has held seminars and festivals in honour of the man.
It has built a Zhuge Liang Square, which comes with a bronze statue of the revered military strategist and his trademark feather fan.
Inside Xiangyang’s old city walls, shops sell the Kong Ming fans, after Zhuge Liang’s other name.
Also on sale: Kong Ming lamps and Kong Ming vegetables - a kind of pickled vegetables - and Zhuge Liang liquor.
But Xiangyang has competition. Nanyang city in neighbouring Henan province also claims to be the former dwelling place of the man nicknamed Wolong or ‘Crouching Dragon’.
Xiangyang says Zhuge Liang’s cottage home is in Longzhong; Nanyang says Wolonggang.
‘There’s no argument over where his birth or burial place lies, but there has been controversy over where he spent 10 years in seclusion,’ said Professor Liang Mancang, an expert on Three Kingdoms history.
Xiangyang and Nanyang are not conceding an inch in the tussle to be the place where Zhuge Liang met Liu Bei. It is an important spot because the tale has come to symbolise a politician’s sincerity in seeking out talent and wisdom to help rule China.
Xiangyang looks to have pulled ahead. Many historians endorse its claim, noted Prof Liang.
The city was cited as the site of Zhuge Liang’s mountain home in both junior high textbooks as well as the latest TV adaptation of Romance Of The Three Kingdoms shown last year.
Not only does Xiangyang have Longzhong, it also boasts of sites like the former home of Zhuge Liang’s wife.
Nanyang, however, is not conceding defeat. In 2007, it pulled a publicity coup over its rival when China President Hu Jintao visited its Zhuge Liang memorial shrine.
The rivalry between the two cities goes back hundreds of years to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
In 1990, they tussled over which city should launch a commemorative stamp on San Gu Mao Lu.
The struggle reflects how Zhuge Liang has continued to be an influential figure to this day.
Some books have been published with a revisionist take, branding the man a hypocrite or a sinner despite the lack of historical evidence, noted Prof Liang.
‘Why do they scold Zhuge Liang? It’s to attract eyeballs. It shows that he is still influential today,’ said Prof Liang.
It has been said that Xiangyang clinched an investment deal from Japanese carmaker Nissan in 2003 because its chief operating officer Toshiyuki Shiga was a big fan of Zhuge Liang.
But the lustre of the ancient wise man has not rubbed off all that much on Xiangyang yet.
Tourism in the city, in the north-west of central Hubei province, could be better promoted, complained drivers.
‘It’s all so shabby and messy,’ said cab driver Shi Fanglong as he pointed to Xiangyang’s old city gate. ‘There’s nothing much to see there,’ he added.
One of the city’s attractions is a jade screen, located in the former residence of a Qing Dynasty prince.
The place has been closed to visitors for several years, so the screen can be glimpsed only through a locked gate more than 100m away.
Mr. Chris McMath, a 26-year-old Briton who spent five months teaching English in Xiangyang, said the city has friendly people and historical heritage but does not live up to its potential.
‘Longzhong is tiny and not that amazing in itself,’ he said.
Despite playing the Zhuge Liang card, Xiangyang has not shone as a tourist destination. Perhaps the city could do with some advice from the wise man himself.
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